SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Fun Facts

Top 4 Celebrations:

1. New York, New York has the world’s largest Saint Patrick’s Day Parade with bagpipers and Irish dancers.

2. Boston, Massachusetts has a large Irish influence and celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day for several days.

3. Chicago, Illinois dyes their river green as part of the fun festivities.

4. The fountains are dyed green in Savannah, Georgia and bagpipers line the streets in the Savannah Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.

Traditions:

• Listening to Irish music

• Attending church services in remembrance of Saint Patrick

• Wearing shamrocks and the color green

• Pinching those that are not wearing green

• Searching for leprechauns

• Wearing “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” shirts

Saint Patrick’s Day was first recognized in Ireland and is a day full of feasting and celebrations. It is a day set aside to celebrate the works of the great missionary, Saint Patrick. An interesting fact about Saint Patrick is that he was actually British. He was taken into captivity in Ireland, escaped back to Britain and returned to Ireland later in life to become a missionary.

Ireland, also known as “the land of Saints and Scholars,’’ is home to many great writers, including James Joyce, who wrote "Ulysses" in 1922 and Oscar Wilde who is a well-known poet, playwright and author of popular fairytales.

As the largest city and capital of Ireland, Dublin was named for the rivers that run through it, the river Poddle and the salty river Liffey. Over a thousand years ago, there was a ‘black pool’ of water where the rivers meet in the middle of the city that was known as the ‘Dubh Linn.’ The river Poddle once formed the moat around the Dublin Castle and was a source of fresh water for the city.

During St. Patrick’s Day, Dublin goes all-in with parades and celebrations with five full days of celebrations and parades during the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival. This celebration brings in a half a million people to the town each year.